Nubi Speaks: MENT Event Women's Conference

Just a few short weeks ago, I got a DM on Instagram that went a little something like this: “Hey Carmeon! Erin Abbott told me follow and reach out regarding your involvement in our conference! MENT is a women conference in Oxford on February 29th. We are looking for social media influencers who could shair their talents with the younger generation and give them tips on how to grow their following and build their brand! I would love to share more with you about it!”

Me:

Uuuuhhhh….YEAH!!!

Guys!!!! I don’t know if you know this about me, but I. LOVE. PUBLIC. SPEAKING. I absolutely love it! I love engaging, educating, influencing, enlightening and entertaining my peers. Specifically when I’m able to tell my story! Every time I tell it, I get the most incredible responses from anyone who listens, so it only fuels me to want to do it more. Being able to do it on a platform like MENT Event is literal star and universer alignment.

Created by two female bosses, Sarah Smythe of Lagniappe and Anne-Marie Gordon of Cicada, MENT Event is a conference for the modern woman looking to construct her own future & career. Women from all over convened in the square of the cutest college town of Oxford, MS for 2 days of curated panels, speakers, workshops and attendee mentor engagement— with plenty of downtime to enjoy local food, cocktails, pop-up shops, and more! I was asked to be a MENTor and lead of the breakout sessions on social media presence and content creation, but I knew I didn’t want to experience this type of event alone. I asked my bestest photog friend, Kim Thomas, to not only come down and capture this moment for me, but to also experience what I just knew would be a great opportunity for another boss babe! Not only was I right to ask, I was right about the incredible time we both had!

We hit the highway early that Saturday morning to get to registration and take advantage of a breakfast catered by GRIT (Taylor, MS). GRIT is known for their Southern-with-a-twist cuisine and what they provided for all of the MENT attendees did not disappoint.

Right as we sat down to eat, we were joined by the rest of Memphis crew that came down to represent! Thanks to an incredibly generous donor, I was asked to invite 5 female entreprenuers of color to attend the MENT Event for free! As a boss of my own business, I make it a point to surround myself with women who can not only relate to this life, but also be a force that pushes me further, so I knew exactly who to extend the offer to. Not only did they come to absorb all that MENT had to offer, they came to support me!

left to right: Kim Thomas, Tiera Dishmon, LaQuita Tate, me, Allison Manning, Andrea Garcia, Cristina McCarter

We finished up breakfast and headed out to the Lyric Theater first round of four panel discussions: Career DevelopMENT, MENTal Health, Brand EnhanceMENT and InvestMENT (cute, right?). Each of the panels were occupied by an incredible round up of women from boss entrepreneurs to healthcare professionals to financial advisers and intellectual property lawyers. We got to take in start up stories, advice to best take care of our physical and mental selves as we pursue our dreams and counsel on how to legally protect them. Invaluable information that was able to put into practice immediately.

The day was led by none other than Heather McMahan and she kept us clutching our sides from all the belly laughs.

It was soon time for the breakout sessions and I was so excited to meet the group of women that would join me for all the low down on social media.

I was so excited about the diverse ages, backgrounds and business of the women that chose to spend their time with me. What was supposed to be 30 minutes quickly turned into an hour and I loved every minute of it. I was able to help them find their voice, understand their audience, navigate the world of partnerships and the clear away the mysteries of #hashtags. They were super engaged and asked amazing questions. I could’ve sat their with them all day.

I walked away feeling both accomplished and fulfilled: confirmation that this is definitely part of my purpose.

sweater: vintage, leather shorts: found on sale at oak hall, boots: zara

After the breakout sessions, we headed back for the last set of panels. The Memphis crew had to get back and Kim and I were worn out, so we headed to check-in to our hotel for some R&R and dinner. I’ll be back to talk about where we stayed, where we ate and how we spent day 2 of MENT Event. Trust me, it all gets prettier and tastier from here!

This was the first year for MENT Event and it was an incredible experience with something to offer all women, business owner or not. I can only imagine how great year two will be and I’m already planning to be there. You should consider joining me!